Longview Rally Falls Short in 51-49 Loss to Mesquite

LONGVIEW -- A nine-point Mesquite lead evaporated in the final two minutes of Tuesday's District 12-5A boys basketball contest in Longview, but the Lobos came just shy of overtaking the Skeeters.

With the game tied and fewer than 30 seconds remaining, Mesquite drained the clock to single digits before guard Jamarquez Scott hit a floater in the lane over two defenders with five seconds to play for the game-winning deuce in a 51-49 victory at Lobo Coliseum.

Longview (15-10, 3-3) trailed 46-37 with two minutes remaining, but stormed back to tie the game 49-49 with 45 seconds left as head coach Billy Goffney successfully substituted offense for defense on alternating possessions.

Longview guard Trez O'Quinn started the rally with a three-point play before Davante Williams hit a corner three-pointer nine seconds later to trim the deficit to 48-45 with 1:17 on the clock. With 1:02 left, the lead slipped to one point when JaMycal Hasty stole an inbounds pass and found Travin Howard for a layup.

Following Scott's go-ahead bucket, Longview turned over the ball on a length-of-the-floor inbounds play with 1.4 seconds on the clock.

Longview's 12-3 run that tied the game before Scott's game-winner gave Goffney and the Lobos the confidence to try for a single stop to end regulation and send the game to overtime with momentum and the home-court advantage.

"The design is that you don't let them into the paint against a zone. We wanted to force an outside shot and get a hand in the face," Goffney said. "They had been getting to the rim on us running that dribble-drive stuff all night, so I wanted to make sure if they did (get a shot), it would be something outside, but they still managed to get into the paint. That just goes back to playing better defensively. All it takes is one person to break you down

"We've gotta stop getting in these holes. It's not about battling back. It's about not putting yourself in that predicament to start with. We came out flat, 14 points at the half. Just didn't have a lot of energy."

Mesquite (11-9, 5-0) built its eight-point fourth-quarter lead thanks in part to a huge second half from Bryson Robinson, who scored 17 points after halftime. He scored 11 during a third quarter that ended in Mesquite's largest lead of the game, 36-27.

Robinson finished the game with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Gulley and Scott followed with 12 points and nine points, respectively.

"We've just gotta get better defensively," Goffney said. "We're not doing a real good job defending at all."

Longview 6-foot-6 post Cadell Williams led the Lobos with 15 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals, while O'Quinn scored 11 points. Howard had nine points and five boards.

Mesquite scored the game's first five points and led 7-4 after one quarter thanks to Josh Nzeakor's four points.

Mesquite's lead twice grew to six points in the second quarter's first two minutes, but Longview fought back to tie the game 12-12 on a 6-0 run capped by back-to-back Howard buckets with 3:07 left in the half. With seven seconds until intermission, Robinson hit his first of three three-pointers for an 18-14 Skeeter led, which held through halftime.

The teams traded the lead midway through the third before Robinson helped Mesquite pull ahead by nine points entering the fourth.